国际英语新闻:Syria announces four new contenders for presidential race

DAMASCUS, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian parliament announced Sunday the names of four new runners for the June 3 presidential elections in the conflict-torn country, according to the state-run SANA news agency.

Sawsan Haddad, Samir Muala, Mohammad Yasin and Abdul-Salam Salameh were the latest to register their candidacy, bringing the overall number of contenders for the presidential vote to six.

Further details about the biographies of the new contenders are still forthcoming.

The 10-day registration for the top Syrian post started on Tuesday. The voting for Syrians inside the country will start on June 3, while overseas Syrians will cast their votes on May 28.

Several candidates are expected to run for the presidency in accordance with the new constitution. Syria's electoral law stipulates that all applicants must have lived in Syria for 10 consecutive years prior to nomination, a condition which severely limits exiled opposition members, many of whom have been living outside Syria for years.

By law, each runner for the elections must secure the backing of 35 parliamentarians. The Supreme Constitutional Court, which is tasked with overseeing the presidential elections' process, must study their applications before announcing the candidates within the five days after the 10-day registration time frame.

The timing of the presidential polls has raised the ire of many in the Syrian opposition, as well as in their regional and international backers who have labeled the upcoming poll a "parody of democracy."

Government officials said President Bashar al-Assad is the " real guarantee" for the future of Syria, hinting that Assad, despite a barrage of criticism, would run for the elections and has a high chance to be re-elected for a third seven-year term.

Opposition groups inside and outside Syria have criticized the decision to hold the presidential elections amid the current civil conflict in the country. More than 150,000 people have been killed and one third of the population displaced in grinding clashes between government troops and armed militant groups.

They also said millions of Syrians are displaced in neighboring countries, many of whom do not have access to basic necessities, let alone access to polling stations.

Assad himself, whose second term will expire on July 17, has not yet announced whether he will run for re-election, but he has reportedly expressed interest in running.